Truck with Highest MPG

[5speed5]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Car and trailer combos work well too...

Agreed. If I had the driveway space, I'd much rather own a good car that could tow ~1500 lbs and then get 30+ mpg without even trying (Chevy Impala comes to mind).

[slowmover]

Need to think about how much work it can do (payload and towing) as a further basis of comparison. Makes no sense to have a 30-mpg truck if it takes two trips. Or, can't carry a payload AND tow a trailer. Etc. Otherwise, why have a truck?

And spend a lot more time comparing new and used. New almost never makes sense from pure dollars and sense. If I paid less for my three year old diesel than you will for a new Ranger, and I average 22 mpg lately (and not less than 19), but can also carry over 2,800#'s in the bed and/or tow a 10k trailer . . . which of our trucks get's "better" fuel mileage? If we both drive 200k to end-of-ownership, which will have cost more, and why? (mine was used with 120k on it at 3-years; so I'll have 320k when you have 200k).

Finance, depreciation, etc are all parts of the equation. As are repairs, maintenance, taxes and insurance. The safety record as well . . nothing out there on the road has the lousy safety record of small pickups (even when adjusting for under 30 drivers).

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[IsaacCarlson]

My F-250 was rolled over before I got it. There are a few dents and scratches, but it still looks good. The only bent part is the front corner of the driver door.
It doesn't quite touch the weather stripping anymore. No other damage. I don't know how fast it was going when it rolled and don't care. It doesn't matter. I get almost as good of mileage in the truck as I do in the car. Sometimes better if I have some hills to coast down, or if I get to drive in town.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Need to think about how much work it can do (payload and towing) as a further basis of comparison. Makes no sense to have a 30-mpg truck if it takes two trips. Or, can't carry a payload AND tow a trailer. Etc. Otherwise, why have a truck?

Depends on what fraction of the time you need to make two trips. If 99% of the time you can haul everything in one trip in a smaller truck, then the smaller truck makes sense. Otherwise, why not carry your bigger truck logic to its conclusion, and drive around in an 18-wheeler just in case you might someday need to haul that much?

[Frank Lee]

If I consider a truck to be body-on-frame (No Rabbit or Omni pickups) then the best N. American truck is probably the mid '80s Ranger diesel.

[IsaacCarlson]

I would LOVE to have an 18 wheeler for hauling wood.
Unfortunately, they cost too much all around to be practical. I pay $22.50/year to keep my truck on the road. It costs so much just to get an 18 wheeler on the road it is not worth it. I can carry a cord of wood at a time, so I don't fret about how many trips it takes. If I have a trailer along, I can carry 3 or 4 cord and then it is really efficient. If I figure even a measly 15 mpg hauling 4 cord of wood, that comes out to about 25,000 lbs. So.....1 mpg/1,667 lbs! HAHAHA that sounds bad...... HAHA...comes out to $0.15/mile!!!

In reality I would probably average about 18-20 with that kind of load.

[wkumtrider]

I mainly use my truck to haul camping gear and mountain bike gear. I also use it for trips to the hardware store and the landscaping place. I would really like to have a small car, but I can't get doors, loads of dirt, and plywood in a hatch (unless someone knows of one that can carry this stuff). Wish I could get my hands on an 80s diesel Ranger.

[IsaacCarlson]

with a blown up motor. See what you can find at the junk yard. Any 95+ with manual tranny should work. Pull out all the electronics and put the diesel in. You might need an adapter plate/motor mounts, but the rest should be pretty much good to go.

[slowmover]

The questions I posed were rhetorical. I paid less for the truck than for a mini-truck, it will do more work for the same fuel, it will (even used) last easily as long, and will just possibly sell for more at the end. The maintenance, repairs, insurance, etc will be the same or less.

Economy is more than just fuel. And the price of new will pretty much NEVER offset having bought a good used one (even at reduced total miles by owner #2) in terms of fuel. A new refrigerator or A/C system can pay itself off compared to energy used, but a vehicle -- especially a truck -- will not.

A truck is a whole other proposition as many of us have IRS deductible miles. When I take that number away (tax deduction) from the purchase price of the truck I am now down to 4, not 5, figures. And the resale price has flattened out so that my loss there is minimal.

A truck with no deductible miles is one EXPENSIVE vehicle is the way to look at it, I am suggesting.

Same is true for buying another vehicle every 3-7 years, new or used, if not more so.

[wkumtrider]

We'll I don't buy a car worrying about resale because I plan to keep it as long as possible. If I didn't have a small truck I would be borrowing a truck from a friend alot to haul stuff around.